| Corp Naomh | |
|---|---|
%2c_argento_e_bronzo_con_cristallo_di_rocca%2c_da_Templecross%2c_co._Westmeath%2c_x_poi_xv_secolo%2c_01.jpg) Front panels of the shrine | |
| Material | Wood, silver, bronze,rock crystal,niello. Brass and silver nails. |
| Size |
|
| Created |
|
| Period/culture | Early Medieval,Insular |
| Discovered | Before 1682 Templecross,County Westmeath, Ireland |
| Present location | National Museum of Ireland,Dublin |
| Identification | NMI 1887:145[1] |
TheCorp Naomh ([kɔɾˠpˠn̪ˠiːvˠ],KORPNEEV, English:Holy or Sacred Body) is an Irishbell shrine made in the 9th or 10th century to enclose a now-losthand-bell, which probably dated toc. 600 to 900 AD and belonged to anearly Irish saint. The shrine was rediscovered sometime before 1682 atTristernagh Abbey, near Templecross,County Westmeath. The shrine is 23 cm (9.1 in) high and 12 cm (4.7 in) wide. It was heavily refurbished and added to during a second phase of embellishment in the 15th century, and now consists ofcast andsheetbronze plates mounted on a wooden core decorated with silver,niello androck crystal. It is severely damaged with extensive losses and wear across almost all of its parts, and when discovered a block of wood had been substituted for the bell itself. The remaining elements are considered of high historical and artistic value byarchaeologists andart historians.
Sections from its original,early Medieval phase include thecross on the reverse and the ornate semi-circularcap, which shows a beardedcleric holding a book. He is surrounded by horsemen above whom are large birds seemingly about to take flight. It was extensively refurbished in the 15th (and possibly 16th) centuries when the central bronzecrucifix, thegriffin and lion panel, the stamped border panels and the backing plate were added. The badly damaged crucifix and largeenamel stud on the front date from at least the 15th century.
The shrine's medievalprovenance is incomplete. It was probably held by hereditary keepers after the dissolution of Tristernagh Abbey in 1536 until it passed into the possession of theAnglo-Irish owners of the site. The Corp Naomh was first exhibited in 1853 by theRoyal Irish Academy (RIA) and was transferred to theNational Museum of Ireland in 1887.
The Corp Naomh was rediscovered sometime before 1682[2] on the grounds of the now ruinedTristernagh Abbey in Templecross,County Westmeath, founded c. 1200 as anAugustinian priory.[3] It is first mentioned and described inHenry Piers'Chorographical Description of the County of Westmeath (written 1682, published 1770). Piers (1629–1691) was anMP,antiquarian and the owner of the land on which the abbey was located. Although recognising the object as areliquary, Piers assumed it to have been a container for a small manuscript.[4] When finally opened it was found to contain a block of wood, which is now presumed by archaeologists to have been a substitute for a saint's hand-bell,[2][5] and was presumably left in place to prevent the metal's inward collapse.[6]
The shrine'scap andcrest date to the 11th or 12th centuries; the crucifixion and other parts of the main face are 15th-century additions. Although its early medieval provenance is unknown, it is generally accepted that the early modern additions were completed at Tristernagh, where it was located when brought to the attention of Piers. Historians consider it probable that the priory invested in upgrading the shrine to redeem and re-establish itself after it faced charges of treason in 1468 "for joining with Irish enemies and English rebels in raiding and burning the town ofTaghmon and in destroying many of the king's loyal subjects".[3]
Little is known of its early modern provenance. It was probably held byhereditary keepers after the 1536 dissolution of the abbey.[7][8] Piers received the shrine at Tristernagh from an unidentified man he described as "a certain gentleman, a great zealot of theRomish Church".[5] Cautious not to damage the structure, he did not open the shrine (it was first opened in the late 19th century), but suspected that it contained "a bible of the smaller volume" (ie a "pocket bible" orpocket gospel book). He wrote that "whether it have anything hidden within it, is known I believe to no man living, but it ... is held to this day in great veneration by all of the Romanish persuasion that live hereabout".[2] Piers recorded that the shrine had an on-going tradition of use for swearing oaths, and noted that it was held in reverence and was of such "peculiar solemnity" that any man who "delivered falsehoods ... is sure to be visited in some dreadful manner".[9]
The Corp Naomh was first exhibited at theIrish Industrial Exhibitionworld's fair held inCork in 1852,[10] where it was shown alongside recently discoveredInsular artworks such as the Cathach, Saint Manchan's Shrine and theCross of Cong.[11] It was acquiredc. 1868 for £21 by theRoyal Irish Academy (RIA) from Messrs. Hodges Figgis & Co. ofGrafton Street, Dublin,[10] before it was bequeathed in 1887 to theNational Museum of Ireland.[12]
Hand-bells were primarily used inearly Medieval Ireland to callmonks to prayer, and over time those associated with a saint became insignia of clerical office. By 1100 the more important bells from the 600–900 period were treated asrelics, having the perceived ability to heal sickness, secureoaths or grant fortune.[13] A few were preserved in the late 11th and early 12th centuries, during a period when the enshrinement of relics by the highest-ranking metalworkers was at its height. LikeCumdachs (book-shaped reliquaries) andhouse-shaped shrines, bell-shrines are essentially metal containers. Most embellished bell coverings, including the Corp Naomh, follow the general shape of a tubular hand-bell and are capped with a semicircular crest outlining the shape of a handle.[14]
The "Corp Naomh" title is modern and translates fromIrish as the "sacred (or holy) body".[4][11] The wording is based on the large central figure ofJesus on the cross.[15] At 23 cm (9.1 in) high, the shrine is around the size of a pocket bible and until the mid-19th century was assumed to be a container for a manuscript.[9] Its shape and size fall within the archeologistCormac Bourke's "Class 1" classification of hand-bells; that is bells produced between 600 and 900 ofiron coated with bronze, largely in thewest-midlands of Ireland.[16][17]
The shrine is 23 cm (9.1 in) high and 12 cm (4.7 in) wide.[18] It consists of a bronzesheet andcast metal protruding mounts attached to a slim wooden core. The semi-circular cap and crest at the top and thenielloed bronze cross on the main body of the reverse date from the 9th or 10th century.[19] The stamped side-border panels are 15th-century, and the crucifixion and oval crystal on the front are possibly 16th-century.[15][20][21]
The semicircular cap is 12 cm (4.7 in) high. It consists of a hollow bronze casting decorated front and back with human and animal figures, with anopenwork crest running along its upper border. The front side contains a bearded cleric surrounded by horsemen and birds, and the reverse shows twoconfronted animals and foliate coils.[22] Although the reverse was once as decorated as the front, it is now severely damaged and has significant losses.[23] The shape of the reverse echoes that of the front, but contains an extra border between the crest and figurative panels, composed ofhatched bands.[19] It contains a series of much thinner confronted animals with hind legs extending forwards.[1] The crest is of bronze and decorated on both sides with three-looprunning-knotinterlace patterns in openwork[24] and lined at the top with a plain-ridge upper-border.[19]
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The cap is dominated by a central figure standing in full profile.[25] His body reaches the full-length of the cap and the top is within the crest and the back of his head protrudes into the reverse.[24] He is assumed to be anecclesiastic based on his clothing, the fact he is holding a book, and that he is partially bald – a contemporary short-hand for indicating clerics or monks.[26] Given his similarities to the figures on the 11th-centurySoiscél Molaisse reliquary, several scholars have suggested that he is one of theFour Evangelists.[27][28] The figure is inlow relief and poor condition: his face is badly worn and his lower body contains three large puncture holes from later rivets.[29][30] The remaining discernable facial features include his mouth and nose, one eye, and his beard.[19] He wears a full-length and according to Bourke a "wing-like"tunic or cloak rendered with cross hatching onenamel and niello, and an undergarment with similar borders at the lowerhem.[31] Raised diagonal bands divide the robe into four sections, between which are decorative panels containing incised (marked with cuts)herringbone, basket-weaved hatched andchevron patterns.[19] His shoes have pointed toes, high tongues and elaborate ankles; atriquetra knot design is placed above each foot. The pattern between his legs was probably a ring-knot but is now punctured by a rivet hole.[19]
His shoulders have circular ornaments and cross hatchings resembling early versions of theOrthodox cross. The 19th-century historian William Frazer described these and their "equal-rayed limbs" as an example of the then "popular and universally worn" Patrick's Cross type, which he said were "distinctive emblems of Christian teaching ... [that were a] recognised badge of those who possessed rank in theCeltic churches".[31] Other early works containing similar designs include figures on a stone cross fromMeigle, Scotland, and the 12th-century IrishSaint Manchan's Shrine.[32] Above the circular ornaments are triangular shapes, possibly representingCeltic brooches.[33]
The four panels surrounding the cleric show mirroring scenes of riders and their horses placed below large birds, all of whom are in profile and face towards the cleric.[20][28] The riders and horses are in low relief,[19] and designed in the so-called "Kells style" found on riding figures in earlier or contemporaryilluminated manuscripts,high crosses, carved pillars and Insular metalwork. The type is named after folios 58 and 255 from theBook of Kells, and figures on the "Market" high cross at Kells abbey.[33]
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In all examples, the horse is small enough to be apony, has a long and thick mane, a downwards-looking head and eyes, and a long, wide tail. The hind legs are positioned low underneath its body, with forelegs extended forwards as if about togallop.[34] In this tradition, the riders' hands are placed inside their cloaks, and they sit low on their horses, although their legs are thrown forward below the horse's knees rather than above its shoulders.[33] In some instances, including the miniature in folio 255verso of the Book of Kells, figures on late-10th-centuryClonmacnoise Crucifixion Plaque, and warriors on the 11th-century shrine of theStowe Missal, the riders have short fringes and a bald crown. Here and in most later examples their hair is longer and dramatically curls upwards at the back.[33][34]
Unusually, the riders in the Corp Naomh wear beards, which are unusually long and pointed for Insular art.[25] Two oversized birds perch on the horses heads and necks.[1] They have small curved beaks and long (but truncated by the frame) wings poised to take flight. Based on contemporaryiconography, Frazer speculates that they represent themartyrdom of the cleric they are facing towards.[25][31] Like the riders' cloaks, the birds' wings are marked with diagonal ribs and herringbone patterns.[1]
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The bronze figure of Jesus and the silver cross were both added in the 15th century but are now badly damaged.[35] The figure is naked except for a horizontally drawnloincloth.[36] He is obviously dead: his eyes are closed, his head droops to the right, the body is rigid, his ribs are extended, and the chest is flat.[28] He has thickflat-topped hair formed from a cap-like moulding with vertical groves to indicate hair strands. The elements of his head and face are incised into the bronze and are in good condition, although his ears are missing. His chest is outlined by a differentiated surface, his ribs and nipples are represented by impressions, and his navel by a deep-cut incision. His legs are crossed and lined with incisions to indicate toes.[36]
The hands were at some point lost and replaced with crudely described rods.[28] The horizontal design above his head is badly damaged and may have once been either a crown or a band of hair.[28] The surrounding plating is 10th-century but is mostly lost.[35] Equally the bronze backing, also 10th-century, is severely damaged especially on the lower right-hand side.[15]
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Theembossed silver panel above Christ's left arm shows a dragon orgriffin and a lion confronting each other in symmetrical poses. Their hindlegs are extended as if about to attack each other.[28] Attacking griffins and lions became a common motif in 15th-century Irish art, notably on theDunvegan Cup which contains a 1493 engraving whose similarity to those on the Corp Naomh have been used to date the latter additions to the main panel.[37]
Examples from this period are so similar that some art historians suggest they were copied from or based on a single die-stamp. The art historian Susanne McNab speculates that the Corp Naomh design comes from the same stamp as the 14th-century additions to theCathach's shrine.[37] The remnants of other, but lost, embossed plates survive, including a strip of dottedtetrahedra (triangular pyramidal shapes) along the left margin. A badly damaged floral pattern runs along the top border.[28]
The back plate is made from bronze and dominated by a grid of interlinked equal-sized openwork crosses. Its badly damaged upper-side panels are stepped so that the plate is narrower at the top than at the base.[38] The crosses are positioned on a separate plate[39] and are similar to those on the Soiscél Molaisse, theShrine of Miosach (both 11th-century), and other contemporary Irish relic containers.[33][38] The crosses date to roughly the initial 9th- or 10th-century phase, but may have been produced slightly later independently.[38] A full-length but now incomplete cross is riveted to the openwork plate. Both its upper shaft and the end of its left arm are missing, although the remaining traces indicate that they matched, in length and width, the corresponding sections of the cross on the front. Each arm is positioned within a band of interlace, and the lower shaft is within fields of interlace. In turn, the interlace is lined with niello, most of which is lost; only traces of inset silver wires remain.[38]
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An undated portable leather case (French:polaire) was also acquired by the RIA in 1887.[5][38] It consists of three pieces edge-sewn together: rectangular front and backs ends, and an oval flap which corresponds in shape to the shrine's cap and thus the bell's handle. The flap has rows of holes larger than those for the stitches attaching the case's three main components, indicating that the case was once sewn shut, so that, according to Bourke "the Corp Naomh could be used but not seen".[22] The diagonal cross on the case's front consists of two overlapping leather straps sewn onto the case.[38] Although it cannot be dated on stylistic grounds, the case is generally assumed to be post-medieval.[10]
